A German man endured scorching temperatures of 110 Celsius (230 Fahrenheit) for almost five minutes to win the nation's first sauna endurance competition.

Andreas Kramp, from Lemgo in western Germany, edged out competitors with his 4 minutes 52 seconds inside the blistering sauna in the eastern village of Dolle Saturday, the Magdeburger Volksstimme newspaper Monday.

Kramp's time falls short of the almost 12 minutes set by Finn Leo Pusa to win last year's international championship in Heinola, Finland.

The German sauna competition uses the same rules: participants sit in 110-degree heat, with water poured on the stove every 30 seconds to create more steam.